Betrayed, I Met The Demon Lord

Chapter 111 - A Demonic Tale

'I am Alicia, the current Demon Lord,' she thought, her eyes scanning the documents spread before her in the vast expanse of her throne room.

'Approximately two years ago, an insolent human dared to enter my castle... and proposed to me,' she recalled, the memory surfacing with a mix of irritation and bewilderment.

'The first thing I noticed, before my anger could even take hold, was this,' she mused, raising her hand to inspect the round seal etched into her palm.

'No breach of the peace contract,' she noted with a faint sigh. 'The seal remained intact, even after a human infiltrated our stronghold and committed the absurd act of proposing marriage.'

'Naturally, I thought it impossible,' she continued, rising from her seat and moving toward the towering window. 'If he was truly human, he would fall under Varolia's domain. His intrusion should have signaled the start of the second great war—our long-awaited salvation.'

'Varlog and I concluded it must have been a prank,' she thought, her brow furrowing as she recalled the incident.

'There was no other explanation. Van Hellix—an insignificant human—had been part of the group that bested me. Although his contribution in that battle was dismal at best. And yet... there he was, standing in my castle, as if nothing had happened after I had killed him with my bare hands.'

She exhaled sharply, her fingers brushing the seamless glass, 'But then he kept coming back. Over and over again. We eventually concluded it was really him. And not a prank; and that there had to be a reason behind why his presence wasn't a breach of the divine contract. But other than that...'

Her gaze dropped momentarily. '... I had no intention of entertaining Van Hellix. He was a mere annoyance... But he was also a summoned hero.'

She clenched her fist, her eyes glowing faintly as her thoughts darkened.

'Then it dawned on us. We could mark him as a slave. If none of the Gods interfered so far, there wouldn't be any form of retribution once he's branded. We concluded that she doesn't watch over him. Perfect for us.'

She carefully looked out to her realm, 'We began planning just days after his absurd quest to claim me as his trophy began. Imagine—the hero of humanity bound to us as a slave. The purpose of the great war fulfilled at last. No longer would I kill him. No... next time, I would seal him. Make him my eternal slave.'

Her gaze flicked to the glowing seal on her palm.

'But Varlog...' she mused, 'Varlog had a different solution.'

--- 2 YEARS AGO ---

"Why not use his infatuation rather than antagonize him outright, my Lord?" Varlog proposed, his voice calm and measured.

Alicia's gaze sharpened as she turned toward him. "What do you mean, Varlog? If we seal him, we will have a hero under our control. Our purpose. Cease this nonsense and prepare the staff to mark him," she commanded coldly, her tone brooking no argument.

Varlog bowed slightly but held his ground. "My Lord, please, hear me out—just this once."

Alicia narrowed her eyes but nodded slowly. "Proceed."

Varlog clasped his hands behind his back, his expression grave. "Sealing a hero has always brought misfortune," he began, his tone deliberate. "It is true that Van Hellix is unsupervised by any deity, and on the surface, it may seem risk-free. But he is still a summoned hero, and they often carry... unpredictable consequences."

Alicia's lips pressed into a thin line. "Then what do you propose?" she asked, her curiosity piqued despite her irritation.

"Isolate him, my Lord," Varlog advised, his voice soft yet persuasive. "Use his illogical, desperate infatuation for you to our advantage."